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Want the best battery charger for your Harley Davidson? If that’s what you’ve looking for, your search ends here. Because this article hosts the top battery chargers for your Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Have you ever experienced a dead battery when you’re about to go out, especially on winter mornings? Or you haven’t started your bike for weeks because you were out of home, and now when you got back to your motorcycle, the battery has died.
In this situation, you got two options: either to unplug the battery and take it to a nearby mechanic and recharge it. Or to buy a battery charger.
So if you opted for the latter, we’ve got your back. Because we’ve reviewed the top products here, which are the perfect chargers for Harley Davidson. If this is your first time buying a battery charger, the buying guide in this article will give you a detailed look at the charger’s features before picking an item.
Speaking of features, we’ll walk you through the market-leading brands so you don’t step towards the product that wastes your money. After reading this article, you’ll know more about battery chargers, how it works, which one is fit for your bike, and at what features you should look.
So without further ado, let’s explore the best battery chargers for Harley Davidson, served here for you.
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CTEK – 40-206 MXS 5.0 Fully Automatic 4.3 amp Battery Charger
- Unique reconditioning mode, built-in-temperature sensing capabilities
- Completely sealed unit, spark proof and reverse - polarity protected
Pros:
- Dust proof
- Reversed polarity protection
- Shockproof
- Spark free operation
- LED indicators for an easy read
- 5-year warranty
Cons:
- Input voltage is 100 – 120 VAC only
- 2 V minimum battery voltage requires
This CTEK best battery charger for Harley Davidson comes with a two-way power supply: you can charge your Harley Davidson battery with either alligator clamps or an eyelet charger. These two ways of power supply are used for different batteries, small and big ones.
Since this battery charger can recharge batteries of multiple vehicles, including Harley, if a car has a small battery you can use the eyelet charger and for big batteries, alligator clamps are perfect. Besides that, the model delivers spark-free operation and has fully automatic charging.
All it needs is to plug it in and leave it to charge your battery. With a short-circuit-proof feature, this charger also has reverse polarity protection. This means if you join the red connector on a positive or negative terminal, the charger will safely charge your motorcycle battery.
Another cool feature this CTEK model has is the 8-step charging technique, rare in other chargers. When you want to recharge your battery with this item, it will first restore the battery’s capacity then check if the battery is ready for recharging.
Then the charger will deliver max current to the battery until it reaches 80%. After going through the six battery care steps, your battery will be fully charged at the 7 steps. They also include desulfation and recondition of the dead batteries so that the charger gives high performance.
Key Features:
- Delivers 4.3 A max current to the battery.
- Multi-vehicle battery charger
- 8 Steps battery care reach
- 1.81 pounds
- Dimensions: 11.02 x 5.91 x 2.36 inches
Battery Tender Plus 12V Battery Charger and Maintainer: 1.25 Amp Powersport Battery Charger
- STAY CHARGED: Provides a full charge to your vehicle’s battery before switching to float mode to maintain proper voltage levels for safe, long-term storage without overcharging
- EXTEND BATTERY LIFE: Compatible with all 12V lead-acid, flooded, AGM, and gel cell batteries. Complete 4-step charging program (Initialization, Bulk Charge, Float Mode) allows for optimization of battery power
Pros:
- Reverse polarity protection detector
- Spark proof
- 5-year warranty
- Avoids overcharging
- Prevents low battery charging
- Requires 100 – 240 VAC
Cons:
- 1.25 A
- Low power supply for the price.
Unlike the above product that required 120 input voltage, this Battery Tender needs 100 – 240 AC voltage to recharge your battery. It’s perfect for the areas which have 240 VAC. When the model fully charges your battery, it will then switch to float mode. And that requires no man work. It happens automatically.
Just plug in the charger and connect it with your motorcycle battery, the tender will take care of the battery’s health. The charger will neither overcharge your battery nor leave it at a low charge. The LED indicators show if the battery is fully charged or still charging.
With all these features, this battery tender has a 4 step charging process. It has no 8 steps unique charging technique like the CTEK charger. But the great feature this model has is the spark-free operation. If you have mistakenly touched the alligator clamps, they won’t spark.
The red LED light flashes if you connect the battery with the charger the wrong way. It has polarity protection but not like the above model. It shows you that you’ve connected the battery the wrong way. You’ll have to correctly join them. This way it protects the polarity and delivers safe protection.
The tender has a low power charger compared to the CTEK model. It has a 1.25 A max charging. This means it’ll take more time to charge your battery than the product that has 4.3 A charging, the CTEK item.
Key Features:
- 4-step charging process
- 1.45 pounds
- 9 x 4.75 x 11 inches
- Has both alligator clips and fused rings for charging
NOCO GENIUS10, 10-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger, Best Battery Charger for Harley Davidson Motorcycle
- Meet the GENIUS10 - Similar to our G7200, just better. It's 17% smaller and delivers over 115% more power. It's the all-in-one universal charging solution - battery charger, battery maintainer, trickle charger, float charger, plus battery desulfator.
- Do more with Genius - Designed for 6-volt and 12-volt sealed lead-acid automotive, marine, RV, powersport, and deep-cycle batteries, including flooded, gel, AGM, SLA, VRLA and maintenance-free, plus lithium-ion batteries (lifepo4).
Pros:
- Charger, Maintainer, Desulfator, and Trickle charger
- 10 Ampere current delivery
- Spark proof
- Automatic operation
- Faster power supply
Cons:
- Pricey
- Alligator clips only
This is the highest current supply charger on the list for your Harley Davidson battery. The 10 Ampere current charges your battery faster than the other products in this article that have a 1.25 – 4.3 A power supply. The charger is smaller in size yet gives more power in less time.
This product is not only a charger, it’s a maintainer, desulfator, and tickle charger for your motorcycle battery. Its auto-detect feature will take care of all these things in your battery so as to bring your battery back to life. Not back to life only but extends its lifespan also.
The thermal sensor in this charger detects if the battery is overcharged or low. This is helpful on hot days and cold weather. The sensor avoids overcharging on hot days, and low charging on cold days.
This charger brings out a dead battery of as low as 1 volt back to operation and gives a stronger engine start than before. Avoid overnight charging because it will heat up the unit. Some users experience it but the problem is with all-night charging.
The product has alligator clamps only. It doesn’t have any eyelet charges, used for small batteries. The warranty life is also lower than the above products, which have a 5-year warranty. The NOCO battery charger only features a 3 years warranty.
Key Features:
- 4.41 x 4.48 x 9.1 inches
- Lightweight
- Faster power supply mode
- Brings batteries back to the life of as low as 1 volt
Buying Guide for Battery Charger for Harley Davidson
This section will walk you through a complete guide for buying a battery charger for Harley Davidson. You should consider the following factors in a battery charger so that you end up purchasing the right charger for your Harley. Because the market is filled with various charger brands. One brand is winning in one aspect while another has no competitor in others.
You need to know what benefits will a charger deliver and are they good enough for your Harley Davidson? Does your Harley need such a battery charger? You should cross-check each feature a product could give with your motorcycle.
Key Features for the Best Battery Charger for Harley Davidson Motorcycle
Below are the key features a battery charger should have for quality and safe operation. The first key feature is the charging mode.
Charging Modes
Various battery chargers have multiple modes apart from charging. A charger with a trickle mode disallows the charger to transfer current to the battery once it’s fully charged. The float mode, on the other hand, recharges the battery, if it gets discharged again.
Many chargers have a reconditioning mode, which gives life to the dead batteries. You can switch chargers like the CTEK for different usages. If you want to use the charger for a motorcycle battery or a car battery, you can switch it to that mode.
Opt for the battery chargers with multiple modes. It’s better than those with only a single mode. In this regard, you can choose a NOCO brand. Because this product is not only a charger. It’s a maintainer, trickle charger, and battery desulfator.
Connectors
Another key feature in battery chargers is the connectors. The connectors charge your battery. So you need to see if the connectors of a charger you want to purchase fit the type of battery you have.
Many batteries require alligator clips for charging. Because they’re big enough that they couldn’t be charged without these clamps. Other batteries are placed in such an area in a car where you can’t fit alligators due to their bigger sizes. At that time, you may need an eyelet charger for your battery.
Battery chargers either come with alligator connectors or eyelet connectors. Check out your battery first and see which one will be fit for it. Luckily numerous battery chargers come with both connectors like the CTEK battery charger reviewed above.
For Harley Davidson motorcycles, alligator connectors are fine. Because they are not small enough to connect them with eyelet connectors. The battery charger with alligator connectors is fit for Harley motorcycles.
Reverse Polarity Protection
To save your battery and yourself, you should triple-check this essential aspect in a battery charger. Sometimes people connect a charger with the wrong pole of a battery, unwillingly. This could cause damage to your battery and can hurt you because of a big spark.
Reverse polarity protection is a feature that alerts you when you connect a charger with a battery the wrong way. A red LED will flash in the charger at that moment. Some chargers are more advanced and they can work if you connect the charger with either end of the battery.
If you got the former or latter charger, that’s fine. But don’t buy a charger that lacks reverse polarity protection. The battery chargers we’ve reviewed here have polarity protection features. So this issue has been resolved for you if you buy one of the above products for your Harley Davidson.
Other Considerations
Before choosing the best battery charger for a Harley Davidson motorcycle, take a look at the following factors as well.
Volts And Amps
A charger should have the same voltage as your battery. They have to match to deliver smooth performance. A Harley Davidson battery is either 6 volt or 12 volts depending on the motorcycle model. So you need a battery charger with the volt in this range. Visit your owner manual and see your Harley battery’s voltage. Then act accordingly.
The battery chargers mentioned in this article have both 6 and 12 volts. Some chargers like the NOCO GENIUS 10 works for 6 and 12 volt. You can charge your battery with this charger if it’s a 6V or 12V. If you don’t know about your Harley battery voltage, opt for a NOCO charger.
amp. The NOCO charger has the highest amperage on the list, 10 Amp.
Temperature monitor
Various battery chargers have a thermal sensor to detect if the battery is overcharged or low charged. This is an essential aspect, especially on hot summer days. When you leave a charger and a battery connected, the charger gets heated. It has adverse effects. Choose the type of charger that has a thermal sensor to save both battery and the charger itself.
Notifications
To know whether your battery is charged or charging or should you unplug the alligators or not, you need some notifications. So that you can act accordingly. Many battery chargers have LED lights for reading. Is it charging your battery or in which mode the charging is running? All these are indicated via LED lights. Some chargers have screens as well.
All the chargers reviewed here have LED indicators, not screens. Digital chargers may cost more than the above products. But both deliver the readings.
Input Power Supply
What AC voltage does the charger you want to buy need? First, you need to plug the charger in to recharge your battery. Is the AC voltage a charger requires available around you or in your home or not? Some chargers need 100 – 120 VAC, while many have 100 – 240 VAC features.
If you buy a charger of 120 VAC, and the local voltage in your area is 240, you’ll need a step-down transformer for the charger. To avoid this headache, check the local voltage in your area and the charger’s voltage if they fit or not.
Multi-Vehicle Battery Charger
This factor isn’t essential for buying a charger for a Harley Davidson motorcycle. But if you buy a charger that you can also charge other batteries with, this is a plus point. You may need it for another car.
Benefits of Motorcycle Battery Chargers
You can win the following benefits when you buy a battery charger for your motorcycle.
Battery life
A battery charger extends your battery’s life. If your battery is dead, you need to charge it with a charger that not only charges it but maintains and reconditions it. Quality battery chargers alive dead batteries. A thermal sensor battery charger saves your battery from overcharging, which could damage your battery. Hence, extending battery life.
Fewer replacements
If you use a good battery maintainer, you won’t need to replace your battery with a new one. If the battery is dead to 1 volt, you don’t need another battery but a charger to maintain your battery. So less constant battery replacement.
Safety
Battery chargers play a key role in safety. They don’t let the battery get overcharged, which causes severe damage or risk of fire. The temperature monitor senses the heat and reduces charge flow when it detects that the battery is fully charged. Some chargers switch to a float mode after charging a battery, hence reducing overcharge and more safety.
Saves energy and money
A charger saves your money. It disallows you to buy a new battery for your motorcycle. Because it can bring back a dead battery to life. With that, the charger can also save electric energy. It automatically senses overcharging and turns into float mode.
Types of Motorcycle Battery Chargers
Following are the three types of the best battery charger for Harley Davidson. Not only for Harley but you can use them or other vehicles’ batteries as well.
Regular Charger
This type of motorcycle battery charger needs more man work. Once you’ve plugged it in, it will keep on charging your battery until you come and unplug it. These are regular and old chargers that cost less compared to modern chargers. The pitfalls of this charger are that it wastes energy and causes damage to your battery if you don’t unplug it on time.
Trickle Charger
However, the new charger is way better than the regular chargers. The trickle charger works otherwise. Plug the charger in and it will recharge the battery until it gets full. Upon completion, it opens the circuit and reduces the waste of energy. And all this happens automatically, no manpower required.
Float Charger
Float chargers work the same as a trickle charger. It charges the battery and stops when the battery is fully charged. When the battery’s voltage is reduced, the float charger detects the reduction. It again then charges the battery to fill the gap.
This is a small plus point in float chargers over trickle chargers. The floating occurs automatically.
Top Brands of Battery Chargers
Following are the top 3 brands of battery chargers. So when you’re out for buying a battery charger, look no more other than these brands. The above products are also from these brands.
CTEK
CTEK is an over 30-year-old battery charger brand that sells more than 70 million chargers a year around 70 countries of the globe. This battery brand has the famous 8-step unique charging technique and has over 1,500 positive reviews on Amazon.
Battery Tender By Deltran
The battery tender company was made in 1965 by a family. The brand makes top-notch battery chargers and has customers around the world. The battery tender chargers have two connectors that you can use for either small or big batteries.
They have 5 years warranty and one of the unique features of the brand is that these chargers prevent overcharging, hence reducing energy waste.
NOCO
Since 1914, NOCO has been bringing dead batteries back to life. This is a US-based company that produces chargers for batteries. These chargers are lightweight and bring dead batteries back to the life of as low as 1 volt.
Motorcycle Battery Charger Pricing
$20 – $50
Battery chargers in this range are the best for 12 V batteries. For reading purposes, the LED lights play their role. Unlike other battery chargers that have more modes, these chargers have only two state lights, which show charging and fully charged.
The Amp, current flow rate, is also smaller compared to the following category chargers. Under 50$ chargers deliver current to the batteries at the rate of 1.25 amp
$50 +
But the Amp of this range battery chargers is higher up to 10 Amp. Such chargers fully recharge your battery faster compared to the low amp charger. Some chargers of this category are also battery maintainers, trickle chargers, and float chargers.
The chargers have multiple reconditioning modes that assess a battery’s health. They have two connectors as well for different battery types.
Also read: Best brake pads for Harley Davidson Touring
Tips for Battery Maintenance
A proper regular check-up on your battery maintains your battery longer. You should at least check out your battery once a month. For the charging state, you can use a voltmeter or a hydrometer. The normal readings on the tools ensure the battery’s health. A battery with 12.5 V and 1.24 GS are safer.
With that, keep your battery’s top clean and free of dirt. Clean the terminals regularly to avoid griming and corrosion. Check the battery’s case as well if they got any physical damage due to overcharging or overheating.
Battery maintenance is a long topic, which needs more words to be explained. But to prevent battery failure and maintain it for a longer time, avoid the following steps.
- Overcharging
- Sulphation
- Incorrect application
FAQs
What Is The Best Battery Charger For A Motorcycle?
No brand could claim that they make the best battery charger free of pitfalls. Every charger comes with pros that stand it above others. But you need to look at their drawbacks as well. Not every battery charger is fit for any battery.
Before picking the right charger, you should double-check your battery’s specs. What type of battery do you have? What’s the volt in it? How much amp does it need for recharging? And so on. Then accordingly, you can choose the right model for your battery.
Since you’ve come this far, we won’t leave you empty-handed. That’s why we’ve brought the top battery charger for motorcycles. Each product’s review is available in the top section. Go through it. And see if it fits your battery.
To give you a hand, the CTEK battery charger is leading the market because of the unique features it has. The product has a 4.3 Amp current flow and features an 8 step battery care approach, fit for 12V batteries. More on this item, head over to the review section above.
What Sized Battery Charger Should I Buy?
You should know your battery’s voltage first. Is it a 12V battery or 6V? You can consult your motorcycle battery manual for this info. If you have a Harley Davidson, listen to the answer. Harley Davidson motorcycles have a 12 V battery.
As you know about your battery’s volt, you should buy a charger that matches your battery’s volt. To avoid any damage to your battery, get a charger, which is fit for the battery. If you have a 12V battery, buy a 12V charger. If 6V then 6V charger.
Many chargers work fine for both 6 and 12-volt batteries. This is even better for multiple vehicle batteries. The NOCO GENIUS 10 battery charger can recharge both 6 and 12-volt batteries. so if you have either 6 or 12 V batteries, this one is the best battery charger for Harley Davidson.
How Do You Use A Motorcycle Battery Charger?
Disconnect your battery with the motorcycle. Join the charger’s connectors with the battery’s terminals. A red connector with the positive terminal and black with the negative terminals. If your battery charger has reverse polarity protection, which most chargers have, no need to worry about the connection.
As you’ve connected the battery and the charger, now plug in the charger. Many chargers need 120 VAC, while some require 220 VAC. Your local voltage should match your charger’s voltage. This avoids using any transformer.
The charger’s manual is an expert and will guide you in more detail. So if you have the instruction manual, prefer its guidance.
Can You Overcharge Your Battery With A Trickle Charger?
No, you cannot overcharge your battery with a trickle charger. This advanced charger is made to avoid overcharging compared to regular chargers. When the battery gets full, the charger will stop the current flow.
If for safety purposes, you don’t want to overcharge your battery with the trickle charger, no worries. The charger will take care of it. But you can check it yourself as well if the battery’s green LED flashes, which means the battery is fully charged. Then unplug the charger even if it’s a trickle charger.
What amp should I charge my motorcycle battery at?
You should check out your battery, how much current flow can it bear? If a battery has the capacity to get a 5 Amp, don’t charge this battery with a 10 Amp charger. You’ll damage your battery if you do so. However, a 3 Amp is the normal current flow you can charge your motorcycle battery with. Your battery’s instruction manual will be helpful in this regard.
Can I use a car battery charger on a motorcycle?
You can use it if the charger features a multi-vehicle battery charger. Such battery chargers have a button with which you can change the mode. If you want to recharge a motorcycle battery, switch to bike mode.
You cannot use any charger to charge either a car or motorcycle’s battery. Because this depends on the battery’s voltage. The charger’s voltage should match the battery’s voltage. If your charger has 12V and the car’s battery is also 12V, then you can obviously use it for cars.
If your motorcycle’s battery is 6V, don’t recharge the battery with this 12V charger. Buy a 6V charger for this type of battery. Some chargers feature both 6 and 12 volts. So if you got this one, you can use it for either a 6 or 12 V battery.
Final Thoughts
Winding up this article, you’ve gone through the piece and now it’s up to you on which is the best battery charger for Harley Davidson you should buy. You’ve heard about all the brands, benefits of the battery chargers, how it works, and which one fits your motorcycle.
If you still need a hand in picking the top one on the list, consider the Battery Tender for your Harley Davidson. It comes with reverse polarity protection and is fit for a 12V battery, which your Harley battery is. The 1.25 Amp could be a drawback here but it can do the job and is perfect for the money
And Finally for a Full list of all the Advice and Reviews on Harley >> Check These Out <<
Last update on 2023-05-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
